An absolute treat to get to see North America’s most endangered mammal and I almost missed it!
This past Friday my photo excursion took me south of Denver following a tip for a bobcat sighting. I spent three hours trying to find the cats to no avail. In the meantime, my friend was photographing a black-footed ferret some 30 miles away, sending me messages about the experience and driving me insane.
I finally gave up and raced north, hoping I would make it in time. Thankfully I did and was able to spend 20 minutes or so with this cool creature before it hunkered down in a burrow, not to be seen again that day.
The ferret wasn’t particularly active in that it didn’t do any hunting but it did give me some nice poses. The light was harsh by the time I got there and it was a bit of a long shot but I was happy. I have only seen these guys a few times, the most recent more than a year and a half ago, so it was definitely something to be excited about.
Once thought extinct, conservation and captive breeding programs run by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service have allowed small populations of the black-footed ferret to return to the wild. It is heartening to see such dedicated efforts being taken to right a wrong.
Taken at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge.
